The invention is directed to an arrangement for transporting a record chart bundle to and from its recording position in a recording device in which the record chart bundle, whose individual record charts are gradually separable from the bundle connection in the course of recording, can be fed in through a slot, and in which the insertion plane, which is determined by the position of the slot, and the recording plane, in which the record chart bundle is located during the recording, intersect.
In contrast to individual record charts, record chart bundles have the advantage of providing continuous recording over a longer time period. In tachographs, for example, it is conventional to employ record chart bundles with seven record charts and to ensure a weekly recording. Accordingly, i.e. the recording carriers need only be changed weekly, which considerably facilitates the use of the tachograph which, as is known, requires a plurality of work steps and, depending on the work conditions prevailing in the driver's cab before the beginning of a trip, is often a troublesome duty.
The handling during exchanging of record charts can be further simplified and the acceptability of record chart recording devices and of the data carriers in the form of the record chart, respectively, can accordingly be improved in that record chart bundles are also fed into a shaft in the same manner as already known with individual record charts, and the rest of the functions are effected automatically.
Assuming that the problem of automatic correct positioning of record chart bundles with respect to time is solved in the respective recording device, which is inaccessible from the outside, the transporting of a record chart bundle from an insertion position, determined by the position of the input slot, into a recording position, determined by the position of the centering and driving means, does not pose any special technical difficulties when the two positions are found in substantially one and the same plane. In the case of a tachograph, the insertion of a recording carrier at the front side of the dashboard in which the respective tachograph is installed, is expected, by modern design trends in particular. As a result, there is relatively little installation space available behind the front face of the dashboard, thus necessitating a deflection of the fed-in recording carrier from an insertion plane, which intersects the front face of the dashboard, into a centering and recording plane located substantially parallel to the front face of the dashboard.
In contrast to individual record charts, whose automatic transport also does not bring about any unsurmountable difficulties in the described installation situation, there were previously considerable prejudices with regard to the drawing in and deflection of record chart bundles as a result of the thickness of such record chart bundles, which is approximately 1 mm and, accordingly, the relatively considerable stiffness as well as the central reinforcement by means of a bush which is secured to a base plate of the record chart bundle in a known manner and causes an additional impediment to transport in that it projects over the record chart bundle. An additional difficulty is that the radius of curvature of a guide shaft connecting the insertion plane and the recording plane is relatively small, since the respective tachograph is to be constructed so as to be relatively flat, and that the preferred deflection angle is in the order of magnitude of 90.degree.--also because of the generally inclined installation position of the dashboard--so that considerable bending forces and friction moments are to be expected during transport of a record chart bundle. It is self-evident that pressure marks and stress marks on the recording surface of conventional record charts, which are sensitive to scratches and pressure, must be avoided during the transporting of the record chart bundle.